After climbing Fuji I spent three days roaming all over Tokyo and mastered the Subway system. Whenever I visit cities overseas I always do a lot of walking. At times I am pretty efficient at exploring the sites while other times I’m half lost in an area that’s not too interesting, however, I get a good feel for a place by doing so. Not to mention I like to walk.
The area I stayed in while in Tokyo was fairly quiet which is kind of how I like it. One evening I walked the streets around Shinjuku with crowds of people, colorful lighted signs, night clubs, and the tricked out culture synonymous with modern day Tokyo. Young people walked about looking like characters on a Pokémon card while arcades were busy with volume turned up to 11. After that it was nice to return to my accommodation in Fukugawa which felt like a sleepy village in comparison.
On a couple of occasions I visited Shibuya as I was curious about the vintage clothing shops. Shibuya is very popular shopping area for not only top end fashion but vintage and used clothing from America. At first I passed vintage shops not realizing it because they looked too nice. Kind of like trendy boutiques. When I think of vintage clothing stores in America I picture a half junky business with a lot of clutter and a funky sign. Once I caught on what to look for in Tokyo I realized they are pretty common. Most are a mix of old and not so old. You can find everything from common American t-shirts, to blue collar works shirts with name/business tags, old denim, Boy Scout shirts, or an FFA Jacket from Texas. The variety is very eclectic, stylish, and foreign to Japan. Amidst the shops tucked off to the side of an alley a young Japanese entreupaneur has brought a bit of Austin, Texas to the middle of it all with a converted Airstream trailer burger café complete with aluminum tables and chairs. I stopped for a beer to cool off in the Tokyo heat.
So, Friday through Sunday I roamed the streets eating noodles, curry rice, and grabbed drink from one of the 40,000 + drink vending machines that are absolutely everywhere. Tokyo is ranks as one of the world’s greatest cities as it should be but for me I can’t say it really grabbed me like some places do. It’s a massive city of thirteen million people splashed out in a cluttered mess of concrete and high rise buildings. There are cool neighborhoods and massive bright light intersections but in some ways it lacks a balance. Parks are limited and not too impressive. Void are outdoor cafes and places to simply sit and people watch. Tokyo is too much on the move. There’s a small gem of a park or temple here and there but I think the true heart of Tokyo lays in its machine like cutting edge self as it innovates and designs technology and trends that shape the world. In that regard it really is quite impressive.
In the evenings I spent time on the internet trying to figure out how I would move about the country. Language difficulties are definitely an issue in Japan and information resources in English are a quite limited. Trying to find time tables for buses and trains in English can be kind of challenging at the station. One option is to just go up to a ticket counter and ask for your desired destination and see how it goes. Or, now with the internet you can root around for the one good site with train time tables in English and get sorted before walking up to the counter. With a fair bit of research I could only find one good bus site and one good train site in English. I know there are other sites but notice I used the adjective “Good”.
Japan is an expensive place to travel and by far the best deals for getting around are with one of the special train or bus passes. They are especially good if you intend to cover long distances. I chose a seasonal pass that not too many foreign travelers know about. It’s a pass that allows 5 days of train travel over a given seasonal time period. The one I bought is a summer pass and is good for the summer season which starts around the beginning of July and goes until the middle of September. You can travel any 5 days within that time frame. The way it works is that you get your pass stamped for the day and you’re good to ride all day on all local and rapid trains. In reality they are both slow trains but they can get you to a lot of places easily. With an early start you can cover a lot of distance.
When I went to Tokyo station to buy my pass I must admit I was a little intimidated but I blamed it on being a little out of practice. I figured if I could ride trains all over India, China, and Russia I should be able to navigate the organized Japanese system just fine. After all, one of the things I’ve enjoyed most about traveling overseas is riding the rails. Local trains are one of the best ways of seeing the real side of a country.
On Sunday I went to the one good train site in English and pulled up time timetables on my laptop. I then took photos of each chart with my digital camera. That way I would know what line to get on and what stations I should be passing through as well a general time frame of where I should be at any given moment. Monday morning, after six days in Tokyo, I loaded my pack and walked down to Tokyo station which was less than a 30 minute walk. Although most all information is in Japanese there’s just enough English to make it easy. I found my line no problem, got my ticket stamped, and a few minutes later was aboard my first train of the day in the midst of Tokyo rush hour with a big pack. Yep, it’s just like the photos. People crammed in like an overstuffed sardine can. Luckily I found a corner seat.
The train turned out to be a breeze. With my timetables and the train’s terminus listed on each car in Japanese and English I was able to figure it out with ease. I rode with two easy transfers for a little over 5 very relaxing hours to a rainy Matsumto in a valley boarding the Japanese Alps. Just out the train station to the left was a quick 3 minute walk to my hotel. I checked into the Hotel New Station which was another Hotels. com $50 find. It’s a nice place. Japan may be expensive but I am finding accommodation to be very reasonable. Yes, the rooms are small but clean and have everything you need. I think since so many Japanese travel for business, hotel costs are kept in check due to competition. I wouldn’t be getting this kind of quality for $50 in the states. That’s for sure!
I arrived in Matsumoto at 1 pm and check in wasn’t until 3pm so the hotel sent me off on a 20 minute walk to their famous castle with a map and umbrella. It’s not a castle in the European sense. Think late 1590’s fort with Japanese warriors. For 600 Yen ($6) you get to go inside. Cool!
My next objective is to take a bus to Kamikochi and hike in the Alps but the weather is crap right now. It’s rainy and kind of cold. The online forecasts are dubious and conflicting. I’ve got camping gear and the huts are also open. I figure I’ll head that way and see how it goes.
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